Day 1: Getting the World Out
Tuesday, September 1, 2009 at 11:56PM ;)
1. It may be the work of a moment to get a person out of the world, but it is the work of a lifetime to get the world out of the person.
Picture yourself standing by a large iron kettle filled with murky, brown water. Picture Jesus standing with you by this kettle, looking into it. Picture Him saying, "I want people to drink of this water, and be refreshed." Picture yourself wincing at the very thought of it.
Now picture Him grabbing a large mallet. He swings this mallet with both hands, striking the side of that kettle with a loud, resounding BONG. Now as He sets the mallet down, you both watch as something black and disgusting slowly floats to the surface of the brown water, bobbing there slightly.
Jesus says, "What are you going to do about that?" As you gather your senses, you grab a nearby ladle, and scoop the disgusting scum off the top of the water, discarding it in the fire.
My life is like that kettle of water. My life is murky with sin. Sin has tainted my life, making it of no lasting benefit to anyone. Yet Jesus wants to make my life crystal clear and available for those around me to benefit from. Every now and then, Jesus hits my life with that mallet of His — BONG! And up to the surface of my life floats something disgusting. Some sinful behavior or attitude that I had no idea was there. It bobs there, awaiting action or inaction.
If, with Jesus, I deal with the "scum" floating there, it is removed, and my "water" is a little less polluted, a little more clear. It is one step closer to being drinkable. If I let the opportunity pass, not wanting to deal with it for whatever reason, the disgusting black scum will disappear from view, slowly sinking back down to the bottom from whence it came, and I will have made no progress whatsoever.
Reader Comments (2)
I love how you've done this, Dave. I've been toying with a devotional blog set-up, but I'd actually have to have a devotional to put in it, eh? This works so well! And that first post always gets to me...it's so visual and just...striking. I really love it.
Wow. This is very nice, Dave. The mallet metaphor is striking (pun alert), but excellent. It kind of reminds me of the scene from The Name of the Wind with the Great Wheel and the Line and the Hammer. Thanks for sharing.